Under the Shadows

A “flawed, complex, compelling heroine faces challenges that are both gut-wrenchingly difficult and all too common today . . . Far above the crowd.” —Kirkus Reviews

Ravaged by loss and suffering under the weight of addiction, journalist Lola Wicks’s life takes a bad turn after a family tragedy. The only reason she agrees to travel to Salt Lake City to write a human interest story on overseas adoptions is to prove that she is still managing her life—and show the authorities she’s still a fit mother. But the assignment is immediately complicated when her subject, a Vietnamese teen adopted by a white family, is accused of murder. Determined to prove his innocence, Lola investigation takes her to the edges of the darkness pervading her own life—making her wonder if she’ll ever find her way back again.

“Engrossing . . . Few will be able to resist this moving tale of redemption.” —Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries

“A gutsy series.” —The New York Times

“Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author on Disgraced

“The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . [Amateur sleuth] Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time.” —Kirkus Reviews on Dakota

“Compelling, realistically flawed characters and a timely story line . . . make this one of Florio’s hardest-hitting mysteries yet.” —Library Journal, starred review on Reservations